Relationship between Browning’s Sonnet and Blanche

The last line of Elizabeth Barret’s sonnet, “XLIII”, highlights the purpose of the speaker’s relationship with their significant other. “I shall but love thee better after death”, which suggests that the speaker will love their partner more once they have passed away and has therefore left all their money and belongings to the speaker.

Blanche frankly is a gold-digger, even if she is misunderstood and has kind intentions. She seeks the attention of Shep Huntleigh and Mitch relentlessly. If she succeeds in winning their hearts, she can rely on them to keep her economically stable.

Blanche is a passionate lover, and as a result often lets her heart supersede her brain. She doesn’t know when she oversteps boundaries; for example, Blanche flirts with the young paperboy and kisses him on the lips. Similarly, the speaker is very passionate about her significant other, stating that she “loves thee freely…purely…with the passion put to use”. The absolute devotion Blanche holds for a man she lays her eyes on—an aspect of Blanche’s character that her Stella criticizes earlier in the play—is precarious. This similar notion is suggested in Elizabeth Barret’s sonnet, with the last few lines stating, “With my lost saints,- I love thee with the breath, Smile, tears, of all my life!” Overall, it is clear that the similarities between the speaker in Browning’s sonnet and Blanche in “A Streetcar Named Desire” are striking.